Marin County couple survives harrowing crash over seaside cliff

A Stinson Beach couple whose car plunged off Shoreline Highway and tumbled onto the rocks below as they were returning from vacation Friday night is said to be recovering from their injuries after a harrowing rescue.

The pair, whose names have not been released, had only a block or two to go after a long day of travel following a European vacation when the car veered off the coastal road near a curve and careened over the side, authorities said.

Their Volkswagen Golf tumbled as much as 200 feet down the rocky bluff to the ocean's edge, trapping the driver and his wife in the car as the tide rose shortly before midnight, CHP officers said. Both suffered major injuries.

The male driver may have been weary from a long day of travel, authorities said. It was not clear if he lost consciousness during the crash, but he managed to call for help on his cellphone around 11:50 p.m., Stinson Beach Fire Chief Kenny Stevens said.

But the man wasn't exactly sure where he was, Stevens said, and responding firefighters with sirens wailing drove up and down Highway 1 trying to see if he could hear them and report back to emergency dispatchers. With the noise of the waves right outside his car door, it turned out he could not, Stevens said.

A CHP helicopter with powerful spotlights arrived and crew members with night-vision goggles quickly located the car at the water line below the cliff, the CHP said.

It was 12:23 a.m. Saturday, less than 90 minutes before the peak of high tide, and waves already were crashing against the car, authorities said.

The vehicle was several coves south of Stinson Beach and the only safe place for pilot Chris Omalza to put the helicopter down was at the southern end of the beach, the CHP said in a news release.

Omalza and Officer Shaun Bouyea, a paramedic, then hiked at least 100 yards to the car, climbing over rocky outcroppings before reaching the injured pair and beginning medical treatment, Officer Andrew Barclay said.

It was, from that point, 'an all hands on deck' situation, said Stevens, whose 14 Stinson Beach firefighters joined responders from Bolinas, Marin County and South Marin fire agencies, the Marin County Sheriff's Department and the CHP.

Stevens said firefighters on foot carried the jaws of life, medical equipment, portable generators, lights, an immobilization board and all the other gear needed to cut the couple free, even as the waves came in higher and higher, soaking everyone involved. In addition to the tide coming in, there was a high surf advisory, as well, he said.

The woman was in critical condition and was in and out of consciousness. She couldn't have gotten out even if she hadn't been trapped, he said.

The car 'was totally destroyed — engine and transmission separate from the car,' Stevens said. But 'the body of the car itself held together very, very well.'

Firefighters used gurney-type devices with 'big, fat wheels' to carry and roll the patients back to Stinson Beach, where a REACH medical helicopter awaited, along with the CHP aircraft.

The patients were flown separately to the trauma unit at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where they faced a long recovery, said Stevens. They were airlifted at 1:15 a.m., 20 minutes before peak high tide.

Their names were not released because medical personnel could not guarantee the woman's survival, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said Sunday.

But Stevens, who spoke with the husband Saturday, said he expected their recovery despite the challenges ahead.

'They're both going to have a long road to get better,' he said. 'But they will.'

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.